What Love Is
by HowStellaGotHerMojoBack
Summary: Post-RENT, begins a week after April’s funeral. How Maureen and Joanne’s romance began and soon fluttered into a strong love.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

" I'm starving…" Collins whined, his hand on his stomach as he lied lazily on the couch at the loft.

" Well, we used all of our money in April's funeral, so food is not an option… unless one of us does something with our lives," Maureen said, sitting on Mark's lap.

" Hey, using our money was worth giving April a nice funeral," Roger said.

" But now we can't eat! Hello, I need food to stay sexy!" Maureen exclaimed.

" No one cares about your sexiness, Maureen! We need to figure out a way to get food," Roger said.

Maureen pouted. " Mark cares about my sexiness. Right, Marky?"

" Uh-huh," Mark mumbled as he slid out from under Maureen and grabbed his camera, filming the outside through the window.

" Ugh," Maureen grunted, folding her arms across her chest and pouting.

" What you mad about now?" Collins asked Maureen, sitting next to her.

" Mark never pays attention to me anymore. It's always camera first, Maureen last," Maureen said sadly.

" He'll get over it. He's just trying to reach fame and success, and his camera is how to get him there," Collins explained.

" Oh, so fame and success is more important than your own girlfriend?" Maureen asked rhetorically, and Collins stayed quiet. " Exactly. And plus, I'm trying to get to fame and success, and I still make time for Mark."

Collins shrugged. " Sorry, Mo. But don't break the boy's heart either, you two are in love."

" No, Collins; this isn't love," Maureen stated, and slumped back into the couch.

There was a silence in the loft.

" Ooh, I have an idea on how to get money!" Maureen exclaimed.

" How?" Roger and Collins asked at the same time.

" Okay, so… actually, I'm gonna do it. You guys stay here," Maureen said.

" What are you gonna do?" Collins inquired.

" Doesn't matter, I'm gonna get us some money, and then we'll be able to eat!" Maureen said happily, and jumped up from her seat in the couch, leaving the loft rapidly.

Mark turned around, not seeing Maureen anywhere. " Where's Mo?"

Collins eyed Mark, and then scoffed. " I get what Maureen is saying now."

" What?" Mark asked, confused.

Collins didn't answer, and just shook his head in disappointment, knowing that his two friends were going to end up broken up.

Maureen sat on the A train, the train that lawyers and doctors, and rich business people took downtown.

She watched as a mocha-skinned woman with an open trench coat, a square pattern long sleeve shirt, and suspenders entered the train. Her hair was a beautiful, curly mess that fell a little above her shoulders. She carried a brown leather, Louis Vuitton purse on her right shoulder, and had the latest phone in her hand, getting a call as she sat down right by the train door.

" Hey, so there are a few things we have to go over before the trial tomorrow. First, do you have all the letters where she threatened to hurt Jack and Allison?… okay, good. Make sure to get them in order based on the dates, so that the judge will see that how the threats got worse every time… what is it? Is everything okay?… oh no. Okay, um… sure, I'll go over later, is five okay?… okay, thanks. We could talk some more about the case when I get there… yes?… of course we'll win this. We have clear evidence that she wasn't ever a good mother, and we have Jack going up to testify… tell him that it's going to be okay. There's nothing to worry about, worst case scenario; she won't go to jail, but you'll still get custody. I've handled loads of cases like this, you guys are going to be okay… thanks, it's my job, and I love helping you stay with your kids… okay, see you later," the woman said. She put her phone away in her purse, and put her purse on her lap, holding it loosely.

Maureen felt bad that she was going to have to take this woman's things, she was obviously a caring, good person, but she knew her friends and her needed to eat.

Maureen stood up, being that the next stop was hers. She pulled up her black hoodie, and leaned on the pole in front of the woman. When the door opened, she quickly grabbed woman's purse and dashed away, not knowing the woman was following her.

Maureen ran until she got to a bathroom, which was surprisingly clean, seeing how they had just remodeled the train station.

Maureen went in a stall and closed the door. She sat on the toilet, rummaging through the purse, until she heard the door open, and she stopped.

Maureen was scared that that was the woman she had stolen a purse from, so she stood in the stall until she heard the stall door next to her close, indicating the woman went in the bathroom. Maureen opened her stall, and tried to run out but was pushed roughly against a wall by someone.

The person turned Maureen around, and Maureen was face to face with the woman whose purse she had stolen.

" Give it back," the woman said, struggling to get the purse from Maureen.

" No, please!" Maureen exclaimed, shifting around so the woman couldn't get the purse.

" Be thankful I haven't called the police, or sued your ass, so unless you want me to, give it back," the woman said, her face in Maureen's.

Maureen couldn't help but glance down at her lips, she met eyes with her again, breathing heavily because of the fast running. " I'm sorry, but my friends and I need money, and none of us have jobs. We're all starving at our place, and we haven't drank any water in a week, and we're late on rent, so we're just living on the edge. Please, I need something! And I'm sorry I took your purse, I've never stolen before, but I was desperate!"

The woman's face softened. She backed away from Maureen, brushing invisible dust off her shoulders and straightening her top. " May I get my purse back?"

Maureen sighed, and handed over the purse. " Please don't call the cops."

The woman shook her head. " You didn't take anything, did you?"

" No," Maureen asked truthfully.

The woman took out her wallet, and counted bills. She took out five hundred dollar bills, and handed it to Maureen. Maureen gasped.

" This should be enough money for you and your friends to eat, sorry about rent. Get a job," the woman said.

Maureen smiled. " Thank you so much!" Maureen exclaimed, and hugged the woman tight.

At first, the woman didn't know what was happened, but as soon as she realized that this beautiful girl was hugging her, she slowly rested her hands on Maureen's back, returning the hug. Maureen pulled away, and blushed. " Sorry," Maureen whispered and Joanne smirked. "What's your name?"

" Joanne," Joanne said briefly. " Joanne Jefferson."

" I'm Maureen Johnson. It has been so amazing meeting you. Thank you for this!" Maureen said, waving the five bills in her hand. " You're so awesome!"

Joanne smiled. " Thank you."

Maureen turned her smile into a sexy, seductive grin. " Hey, Joanne?"

Joanne froze, and gulped. " Yes?"

" Do you wanna… hang some time?" Maureen asked.

Joanne gulped again, and then smiled, biting her bottom lip. " Yeah… like, on a date?" Joanne asked quietly.

" Yeah. A date," Maureen said.

Joanne's smile widened. She took out a pen from her bag, and wrote her number on Maureen's arm, then handing the pen to Maureen, pulling up her sleeve. Maureen gently grabbed Joanne's hand, brushing their fingers in the doing, sending shivers down Joanne's spine. She wrote her number on Joanne's arm, and then smirked at her.

" See you… uh… Sunday?" Maureen suggested.

" Sure," Joanne said, and held open the bathroom door for Maureen.

Maureen smiled one more time at Joanne, and waved at her, walking backwards. " Bye."

" Bye."

Joanne walked away, smiling to herself.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Maureen got to the loft that day, happy as ever.

" Where's our money?" Collins asked, he leaned into Maureen. " Were you prostituting?"

" What? No!" Maureen exclaimed, slapping Collins's shoulder.

" What?! I didn't know what you were doing!" Collins replied.

" And your first thought is a prostitute. Because I'm a skanky whore, right?" Maureen asked harshly, sitting down next to Collins.

" No, Maureen, I didn't —"

" Whatever. How I got it doesn't matter," Maureen said.

" So you do have money?" Collins asked excitingly.

Maureen couldn't help but smirk at her best friend's childish, excited expression that looked like a kid waiting for ice cream. She slowly slid the money out of her pocket. " Yup! Five hundred dollars, man!"

" Yes!" Collins yelled, and threw his arms around Maureen. Maureen hugged him back, both of them smiling goofy, idiotic smiles.

Roger came out of his room eyeing the two hugging best friends. " Get a room."

Maureen pulled away from Collins, still holding the money in her hands. " Be nice, or you won't get in on all this money!"

" H-how'd you get that?" Roger asked, looking at the money with amazement.

" Why does it matter how I got it? It only matters that we have money now and we can eat!" Maureen yelled, and everyone cheered, causing Mark to come out of his room.

" Hey guys, what's going on?" Mark asked, his camera in his hands.

" Maureen got us money, somehow, and now we can eat!" Roger yelled, excitement and thrill coursing through his veins, seeing how Roger ate the most from the group.

" Oh. Well, thanks, Maureen," Mark said, leaning in to kiss Maureen's lips, but she turned her head, and let Mark kiss her cheek.

" Oof," Roger mumbled, seeing the interaction between Mark and Maureen.

Mark furrowed his brows in confusion, but before Mark could say anything, Collins interrupted. " LET'S GO TO THE FUCKING SUPERMARKET AND GET SOME FUCKING CHICKEN NUGGETS!"

" AND SOME FUCKING PIZZA!" Maureen yelled.

" AND EVERYTHING FUCKING ELSE THAT WILL MAKE US FAT!" Roger yelled, and him, Collins, and Maureen cheered loudly.

" Shush, you're gonna wake the neighbors," Mark said quietly.

" Ugh. Always the party pooper," Maureen said, rolling her eyes.

" No need to be rude," Mark said.

" Whatever. Let's go, guys!" Maureen exclaimed, and they all cheered once more before going to the supermarket and nearly buying the whole store.

Maureen, Collins, and Roger returned nearly two hours later, their hands full of bags.

Maureen panted heavily, putting the bags down and throwing herself on the couch. She wiped the sweat beads from her forehead. " We just bought half of the supermarket."

" What did you guys buy?" Mark asked.

" A lot of things," Roger replied.

" A lot of stoli," Collins chuckled his deep chuckle, taking out a bottle of stoli that was hidden inside of his coat.

" I'm still wondering how Maureen got this money. Mo, did you rob a bank?" Roger said, whispering the last part.

" Nope. But someone gave me money," Maureen said, sitting up on the couch where Collins and Roger sat on either side of her.

" I knew you prostituted!" Collins exclaimed.

" No, I didn't!" Maureen yelled back at him, and smacked the back of his head.

" Then who gave it to you?" Roger asked.

" A person," Maureen replied.

" Stop fucking with me, tell me who gave you the money!" Roger said.

" Ew, I'd never fuck you…" Maureen muttered, and Collins chuckled.

Roger rolled his eyes. " Tell me."

" Yeah, I wanna know who Mo stole money from too," Collins agreed.

" Me three," Mark added, and Maureen scoffed.

" Oh, puh-lease, you don't want anything to do with me anymore," Maureen said.

" What? What did I do?!" Mark exclaimed.

" Nothing, shut up Mark… anyway, I was going to steal some girl's money. I was on the A train, and she was on a phone call, talking about a trial, and a case, so it was established that she was a lawyer. She had a Louis Vuitton bag, and the IPhone freaking six! Obviously, very rich. Anyway, I took her purse," Maureen said, and the boys gasped.

" You stole money? You're gonna go to jail! We're all gonna go to jail!" Roger yelled, beginning to panic.

" Calm down, Roger, no one is going to jail. Just listen. So, I went into a bathroom, and I was looking through her purse, and then someone came in, so I waited for the person to get in the stall just in case it was her. And then I tried to run out, and the bitch slammed me against a wall!… but it's okay, she didn't hurt me. And I saw her and I was like, 'damn'," Maureen said.

" Really? Right in front of me? At least have the decency to talk about your flirting without me standing right here," Mark said, and Maureen stood up.

" At least have the decency to talk to your fucking girlfriend instead of being on that stupid piece of shit camera!" Maureen yelled in Mark's face, and he flinched.

Collins pulled Maureen back on the couch. " Calm down, Mo. Just… keep telling us the story."

" Okay, but for real, you gotta see this girl. Her face belongs on the cover of a Vogue magazine. For real!" Maureen exclaimed.

" Damn, she must be pretty if Maureen is spending time talking about her like that instead of talking about herself," Roger said.

" She wasn't just pretty! She was beautiful!" Maureen said, and even though Mark and Roger only saw Maureen being the queen of flirting, Collins saw much more. He saw a sparkle of awe and maybe even love for this girl in the eyes of his best friend. " So, she was like 'give the purse back', and I was like 'no! Me and my friends are starving and we need to eat!' and then, she just pulled five hundred dollars from her purse, and handed them to me!" Maureen yelled.

Roger gasped. " Wow. She must be a pretty good person."

" She really was. You could see she had kind eyes," Maureen said, and Collins raised his eyebrows as Maureen trailed off and stared off into space.

Mark scoffed and went into his room.


	3. Chapter Three

Mark and Maureen lied in their bed in Mark's room, their backs facing each other as Maureen slept on one side of the bed, farthest away from Mark that she could be, and Mark lied awake on the other side of the bed.

Mark thought about what Maureen had said to him, and then suddenly, he felt the bed shift and Maureen was closer to him, her arm draped over his small waist.

Mark noticed a little writing in blue pen on Maureen's arm, and looked at a number written down on his girlfriend's arm. He quickly picked up a pen and paper from on his nightstand and wrote the number down, then shoving the paper in his drawer and slamming it shut, causing Maureen to bolt awake.

Maureen sat up, rubbing her eyes. " What the hell, Mark?"

" Oh, sorry, you forgot to erase the number that you probably got from someone while you were flirting with them today," Mark said harshly, moving away from Maureen.

Maureen looked down at Joanne's number that was written on her arm. She had taken a shower, but apparently didn't scrub Joanne's number off hard enough.

" What are you now, my doctor to be checking my body?" Maureen asked.

" No, I'm your boyfriend, and you got closer to me, so I saw the number," Mark said.

" So, what'd you do next, call the number and tell the person you were gonna kill them because their number was on my arm?" Maureen taunted.

" Whatever, it was probably that girl that you apparently fell in love with's number," Mark said, and lied on his side, his back facing Maureen.

Maureen inhaled sharply, and grabbed her blanket and pillow, and stood up. " Fuck off, Mark. And you know what, maybe you shouldn't be my boyfriend."

With that, Maureen walked out of the room, and slept on the couch for the rest of the night.

Maureen and Mark didn't talk for the whole rest of the week, and Maureen was getting ready for her date with Joanne on Sunday. She had called her when everyone was out doing something, and they arranged the date.

Maureen was wearing a skintight, blue, sleeveless dress, with most of her straightened hair flipped to one side, bright red lipstick, and beige heels.

Maureen wanted to impress this girl. She looked at herself in the mirror, deciding she looked good, and grabbed her wallet. She had made sure she left some money to pay for this fancy restaurant Maureen's parents had suggested because she said she was going on a date night with Mark.

Maureen left the loft, and just as she began going down the stairs, she met with Roger and Collins coming up.

" Hot damn, Mo," Collins said, and wolf-whistled playfully, making Maureen blush.

Roger couldn't help but stare at Maureen. " You are a… goddess."

" Aw, thanks, Rog," Maureen said, and kissed Roger's cheek.

" Ooh, your friend has come out to play," Collins said, pointing down at Roger's pants.

" Ew, Roger, get outta' here!" Maureen said, slapping Roger's shoulder as he ran past her, covering his pants.

" I'm sorry, but you just… look so beautiful!" Roger exclaimed, and then ran inside. Maureen shook her head with a smirk, turning back to Collins.

Collins began holding his pants too.

" You too? I thought you were gay, Col!" Maureen exclaimed, hitting Collins's head.

" No, I just have to pee," Collins said, and Maureen nodded. " Did you and Mark make up?"

" N— yes, we did. And I'm gonna meet him at a restaurant," Maureen lied.

" Oh, he said he was gonna go film," Collins said.

" Uh, yeah, I'm gonna meet him there when he's done," Maureen lied again.

" Oh, okay. Have a nice date. See you later," Collins said, and Maureen kissed his cheek, and left off. She took a taxi to the restaurant, seeing how she was already a little late, and didn't realize she was using money she needed to pay the bill at the restaurant.

Maureen rushed over to the table where Joanne sat, pulling her dress down slightly as she approached her.

Joanne stood up, and Maureen quickly hugged her, and sat down.

" You look… stunning," Joanne said, obviously quite speechless.

" Thank you, you look beautiful as well," Maureen said. " Sorry I was late, I met my friends on the way out, and they kind of kept me behind."

" No, it's fine, you weren't late," Joanne said.

" Do you know what you want?" Maureen asked.

" Um, yeah, the Parmesan fettuccine with chicken," Joanne replied, and Maureen smiled.

" I was gonna say the same thing," Maureen said, and Joanne smiled in return.

" Your smile is beautiful," Joanne complimented.

" You're beautiful!" Maureen replied, and Joanne giggled.

" Aw, thanks," she said, her cheeks a dark red.

" No for real, I was talking to my friends about you, and I told them that you belonged on the cover of a Vogue magazine," Maureen said happily.

Joanne giggled some more, making Maureen smile. " You're so nice."

" Well, I can tell you one place where I'm naughty," Maureen said, and leaned in a little so she could whisper and Joanne would hear. " In bed."

Maureen pulled back, and Joanne giggled again.

" You giggle a lot," Maureen said with a smirk.

Joanne stopped giggling. " Sorry."

" No, no, no, it's fine. It's so adorable," Maureen assured Joanne.

Joanne smiled. " Why are you so nice to me?"

" Because you gave me five hundred dollars so me and my friends could eat, and that is by far, the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," Maureen said. " So thank you for that."

" Of course, it was a pleasure helping," Joanne said, and Maureen smirked at her.

The two girls had an amazing rest of their nights, and began getting ready to leave at eleven. When the bill came and it read a hundred and nineteen dollars, Maureen muttered, "damn."

" I can pay if you want, it's okay," Joanne said.

" No, no, I asked you out, so I have to pay. You don't," Maureen said, looking through her purse. She had brought 130 dollars, but seeing how she wasted twenty dollars on a cab ride to the restaurant, she only had 110 dollars.

Maureen grunted, and kept looking through her purse. " Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Maureen whispered.

" Maureen, it's okay, I can—"

" No, I pay!"

" Are you sure?"

There was a silence.

" Okay, I only need ten dollars," Maureen said quietly, ashamed that she couldn't even pay for a dinner.

" Okay, that's okay," Joanne said, and took out ten dollars from her purse, adding it to the bill.

" Thank you… goddammit, I can't even pay for dinner! Why are you here? I'm poor, and look at you, you're a-a successful, rich lawyer who carries around five hundred dollars in her purse," Maureen said, putting her head in her hands.

" Hey…" Joanne said quietly, grabbing Maureen's chin gently and turning it upwards so they were looking at each other.

" You're not poor, and just because you couldn't pay for an extremely expensive dinner, doesn't mean you're not a good person, or for that matter, it doesn't mean I didn't have a great time with you. Because I did. I had an amazing time actually, and it was all because you were here with me," Joanne said.

Maureen smiled.

Joanne bought a bottle of wine, and they got on the train, drinking the whole ride from the same bottle. By the time they got to Maureen's stop, they were both tipsy and buzzed, and being silly.

Their laughs as they walked down the street of the East Village were loud, but happy, and genuine. They got to Maureen's building, and Maureen stopped them in front of it.

" I've had an amazing night," Maureen said with a smirk.

" Me too, hottie," Joanne said, and Maureen giggled. " How 'bout a second date?"

" Hell yeah!" Maureen yelled.

Joanne began laughing, and then so did Maureen, and they were both laughing like idiots aloud on the sidewalk. Joanne stopped laughing, trying to catch their breath, and Maureen soon controlled herself.

They stared at each other, their smiles fading away and instead turning to serious faces as they focused on each other's eyes.

Maureen rested a hand on Joanne's jawline, and brushed their lips. " Can I kiss you?"

" Why did you even ask?" Joanne inquired, glancing at Maureen's lip.

" Because I don't know if you're super turned on like me right now and wanna kiss me," Maureen said. " Yeah, I've had experience in kissing someone, because they were leading me on, and they didn't actually wanna kiss me, but we were basically eye fuc—"

Maureen was cut off by Joanne crashing their lips into each other's, pulling Maureen closer slightly roughly by the waist.

Maureen moaned into the kiss, and wrapped her arms around Joanne's neck, slightly getting on her tippy toes to be the exact height of Joanne. Maureen moaned again, but louder, when Joanne added her tongue to the kiss, and bit on Maureen's bottom lip playfully.

Joanne pulled away. " You're so hot," Joanne said, and connected their lips again, grabbing Maureen's waist more roughly and pulling her closer so their bodies were touching, and they were extremely close.

" You too," Maureen muttered, holding the back of Joanne' s head as she trailed soft, gentle kisses down her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed out of the warmth and pleasure she was feeling inside due to Joanne's lips being attached to her skin.

Joanne pulled away after a little panting heavily. " That was sexy."

" You're sexy," Maureen smiled, and bit her bottom lip. Joanne smirked, and planted a short but sweet kiss on Maureen's lips.

" Thank you, so are you," Joanne said. " Call me?"

Maureen nodded.

" Bye," Joanne said flirtatiously, and pecked Maureen on the lips, and Maureen pulled her back for another elongated, passionate kiss.

" B-bye," Maureen said, and smiled at Joanne, and went inside the building, not knowing that The Man was watching them the whole time.


	4. Chapter Four

" Where were you?" Mark asked.

" Yeah, Maureen, why'd you lie?" Collins inquired.

" Ugh, go down, go down!" Roger yelled, looking down at his pants and covering them with a pillow, running into his room.

" And why do you look so nice?" Mark asked.

" And why'd you say you were with Mark?" Collins asked.

" Stop! Too many questions!" Maureen exclaimed, trying to keep her balance.

" For good reason. You lied to all of us. Now, where were you and who were you with?" Mark repeated.

Maureen rolled her eyes. " None of your business, dad."

" Maureen, this is serious. We were worried sick!" Collins said.

" Okay, okay, just… let me sleep. We'll talk in the morning," Maureen said.

" Why are you drunk?" Mark asked, watching as Maureen kicked her heels off and sat on the couch to next to Collins, resting her head on his lap.

" I'm not drunk," Maureen said, yawning at the same time.

" Yes, you are, I know what you look like when you're drunk," Mark said.

" Yeah, so do I; I look better than you. As always. Now please leave me alone," Maureen said.

" Oof, suck burn," Collins said, high fiving Maureen, earning a glare from Mark.

" Maureen, just tell me where you were, and I won't get mad," Mark said.

" I know you won't get mad, because I'm a grown woman, and I can do whatever the hell I want, so If I'm somewhere, I have every right to be there, and I don't have to tell you shit," Maureen snapped.

" Maureen, work with me here," Mark said.

" Dude, just shut the fuck up, I'm tired! Go to sleep!" Maureen yelled.

Mark grunted as Maureen shut her eyes, and drifted off into a sleep as Collins slipped out from under her.

: :

" Um, hey Maureen, it's Joanne, call me back when you can please," Joanne's voice spoke through the answering machine.

Collins entered the living room to see Maureen still asleep on the couch, snoring away. He shook her gently. " Hey, Mo. You got a message."

Maureen opened her eyes slightly, and rubbed her eyes, sitting up. " Did they say their name?"

" Yeah, uh, Joanne, I think," Collins replied.

Maureen opened her eyes fully. " Oh, okay."

" Who is that?" Collins asked.

" Um… just a friend," Maureen lied.

" Okay, well I'm gonna go out today, and I'm gonna try to find a job. We gotta start making some money, we're already running out of food," Collins said as Roger came out of his room in a tank top and his boxers.

" Thanks to Roger," Maureen said.

Roger sat on the couch, obviously still not fully awake. " What?"

Maureen and Collins chuckled.

" I'm hungry," Roger said.

" As always," Maureen muttered.

" Hey, a guy needs to eat," Roger defended himself.

" A guy doesn't need to eat every ten minutes," Maureen teased, and Roger playfully punched her shoulder. " Anyway, I should probably change, since I know now to never wear anything tight in front of Roger," Maureen said, signaling to her tank top and tight shorts that stopped mid-thigh.

" It was one time!" Roger exclaimed.

" Two times," Maureen corrected.

" Ugh. Whatever. I'm gonna go try to write that one great song," Roger said, grabbing his guitar.

" Good luck, bud," Maureen said, and Roger sticked his middle finger at her. She turned to Collins. " Where is the pumpkin head?"

" Mark is out filming," Collins said.

" Of course he is," Maureen scoffed.

Collins shrugged, and got up. " Gonna go look for that job now."

" Okay, see ya' later," Maureen said, getting up and heading into the kitchen.

" Hey, Mo, I'm gonna take a nap," Roger said. " So keep it quiet."

Maureen nodded, and picked up the phone as soon as Roger went into his room. She dialed Joanne's number, and she picked up immediately.

" Hello?" Joanne said when the phone call began.

" Hey, Joanne, it's Maureen," Maureen said.

" Oh, hey, Maureen! It nice to hear your voice again," Joanne said.

Maureen chuckled. " So, when are you free for that second date?"

" How does this Sunday sound?" Joanne asked.

" Sounds perfect."

" You're perfect."

Maureen giggled at Joanne's comment. " Thank you, Joanne. So, where do you wanna meet?"

" How about… my apartment?"

" Sure. Can I get your address?"

" Sure it's…"

As Joanne said her address, Maureen wrote it on a paper.

" How does five sound to you?"

" Sounds great… I can't wait to see you again."

" I can't wait to see you either. Bye."

" Bye, Maureen."

Roger removed his ear from his door, the information that Maureen was cheating on his best friend going through his brain.

: :

Collins came back to the loft that day, with a stupid smile on his face. " I have news."

" Ya' got laid?" Maureen asked playfully, her hands behind her head as she watched TV.

" No, but I did get a date with a super hottie called Whizzer," Collins announced.

" Whizzer? What type of fucking name is that?" Maureen asked.

" Honestly, I don't fucking know, but he's hot as hell," Collins said.

" Nice," Maureen said, holding out her hand, and Collins's gave her a high five.

" We're going on our first date Monday," Collins said happily.

" I'm happy for you, man," Maureen said truthfully with a smile.

Collins day next to Maureen, and smiled back at her.

" So how's the finding a job part go? Or were you just going out to find a man?" Maureen teased, and Collins smirked.

" No, but I got my job back at MIT," Collins said.

" What?! That's great, man!" Maureen said, slapping his back. Her face then fell. " Well, how are we going to get food if you're living in Massachusetts?"

" I'll send you guys money for food every month," Collins assured Maureen.

" Nice… so how'd you get the job back?" Maureen inquired.

" They called me, and said they wanted me to teach there again, but just that I wouldn't be able to share my theory of actual reality."

" Oh, that sucks. But that's not fair."

" Oh, it's fine, I'm just gonna share another theory of actual reality. Show those little nuggets the seriousness of AIDS and how AIDS patients live their lives, and how people cope differently."

" Like how some people try to live life to the fullest, and others… end their lives…" Maureen mumbles, thinking back to April.

Collins pursed his lips. " Exactly. And if they want to expel me again for showing those kids the truth about life, well then they can suck my ass."

" You go!" Maureen said encouragingly, smiling at her best friend.

:


	5. Chapter Five

" I brought board games!" Collins yelled as he entered the loft.

" With what money did you buy those?" Maureen asked.

" None, some man was giving them away on the street!" Collins said excitingly. " Mark! Roger! Get your asses out here and come play board games with me and Mo!"

" I'm sleeping!" Roger yelled.

Mark peeked his head out of the bathroom, a razor in his hand and shaving cream on his pale chest. " I'm shaving my chest hairs."

Maureen started laughing so hard, and Collins only smiled.

" Why are you laughing?" Mark asked rudely.

" Because you're shaving your non-existent chest hair!" Maureen yelled, and continued laughing until tears rolled down her cheeks and her face was red.

" I do have chest hairs!" Mark yelled, and slammed the bathroom door.

Roger came out of his room, dragging his feet. " I'm bored. So what games you got?"

" I thought you were sleeping," Collins said, and Roger shrugged his shoulders. " Whatever, we have monopoly, Uno, The Game of Life, and SORRY."

" Ooh, let's play Uno!" Maureen said, and took the stack of colorful cards from his hands and Collins put the other boxes down.

" Okay, I guess Uno isn't too bad," Roger said, and sat at the couch.

Maureen gave all three of them seven cards, and put the stack of cards down, placing one card next to it and flipping it over.

" Ladies first," Collins said.

" Okay…" Maureen said, and put down a 4 card.

" Are you serious?" Roger asked.

" I am not one to joke around when it comes to Uno," Maureen said, and handed Roger four cards from the stack.

" Cheater," Roger taunted, and Maureen furrowed her eyebrows.

Did Roger know?

: :

Maureen knocked on Joanne's door, and Joanne opened it quickly.

" Hi," Maureen chirped, and kissed Joanne's cheek before she moved aside to let Maureen in.

" Hi," Joanne said in return, and shut the door behind her.

Maureen looked around the place. It was a nice, moderately-sized apartment, that had sophisticated, elegant furniture. Maureen nodded slowly in approval. " Nice crib."

Joanne smiled. " Thanks… let's go to the dining room."

" Dining room? Damn. Me and my friends just eat on the couch," Maureen said.

Joanne chuckled. " Being a lawyer has its perks."

Maureen followed Joanne into the dining room, where the lights were dimmed and there were roses inside a vase in the middle of two plates that sat on a table.

Maureen smirked. " This is… sappy."

" I'm a romantic," Joanne shrugged.

" I see," Maureen smirked.

: :

Half an hour later, they lied on the couch, making out slowly and tenderly while romantic music played softly in the background.

Joanne pulled Maureen, who was on top of her, closer, and pulled back a little. " You're really good at this."

" Thanks. You taste really good," Maureen said, and kissed Joanne again.

" I always have strawberry gum on me," Joanne said.

" Is strawberry your favorite flavor?" Maureen asked, and Joanne nodded in response.

" Yeah, always has been, since I was a kid," Joanne said.

" Then I'll make sure to put on strawberry scented perfume on our next date," Maureen said, and Joanne giggled.

" Okay, you do that," Joanne said, leaning in to kiss Maureen again.

" I will," Maureen said, and reconnected their lips.

Tongues began dancing, and hands began roaming, that is, until Joanne's phone rang.

Joanne reluctantly pulled away, and kissed Maureen once more before getting up and picking up the phone. " Hello?... oh, hey, Whizzer!"

Maureen sat up on the couch.

" Really, that's great!... Um…" Joanne looked over at Maureen. " I'll have to ask her… but I'm sure she won't mind… okay, bye… Love you too."

Joanne walked back to the couch, and sat next to Maureen.

" Who was that?" Maureen asked.

" My brother, Whizzer. He just went out on a date with a guy, and he was wondering if we could go on a double date with them after their second date," Joanne explained.

" Oh, okay. Why not?" Maureen shrugged, and Joanne smiled. " Thanks… now… where were we?"

Maureen lied back down, pulling Joanne with her. " Well, I believe, your hands were in my hair, and my hands were right…" Maureen slid her hands down Joanne's back and rested them on her ass. " Here."

" Oh, okay," Joanne said with a smirk.

" Are you okay with that?" Maureen asked.

" Why are you asking?"

" Because my friends said one time that I need to ask for permission before I touch someone in certain places," Maureen said.

" Oh… well, I'm fine with your hands there. I like your hands there, actually," Joanne said, sexily whispering the last part.

" Me too," Maureen said, and they began kissing again.

: :

Roger came out of his room, rubbing his eyes, and quickly noticed a piece of paper sticking out from under the fridge when he came into the kitchen.

He bent down and picked it up, and read the address that was written on the paper. It was Maureen's handwriting.

Mark entered the kitchen. " What's that?" Mark asked Roger, signaling to the paper Roger was holding while drinking from his coffee mug.

Roger looked at Mark. " It's where your girlfriend is."

" What? Maureen is at the Life," Mark asked.

" No, she's at this address," Roger said, holding up the paper.

Mark put his mug down and furrowed his eyebrows towards Roger. " What?"

Roger sighed. " Maureen is cheating on you."

Mark blinked, dumbfounded.

" Yeah, and she's probably at this address, fucking someone," Roger said.

" Who?" Mark inquired.

" I don't know, but she was on the phone with her the other day, and they set up a second date, that was this Sunday, and began at five," Roger said.

" So what do I do now?" Mark asked.

" Go to the address, expose Maureen."

" No, I don't wanna do that."

" Why not? She's being unfaithful."

" Not the exposing part, I just don't wanna go over there and find her… doing it with someone else."

" Fine, then I'll go."

" Roger, you don't have to do that for me—"

" Mark, you're my best friend. And I'm not gonna let Maureen hurt you and play with your heart any longer. It's tiring to watch."

Mark watched as Roger left the apartment.

: :

There was a knock on Joanne's door, and she got up from her spot on top of Maureen who was now sitting up while Joanne got the door.

" Um, can I help you?" Joanne asked the stranger at her door.

" Yes, actually. You can," Roger replied, and looked past Joanne, and saw Maureen. " Fucking bitch."

" Excuse me?" Joanne asked.

" Maureen! Get over here!" Roger yelled, trying to get past Joanne.

" Hey, stop!" Joanne said, pushing Roger back.

Maureen showed up at the door, and Joanne looked at her. " Do you know him?"

" Um, yeah. He's one of my roommates," Maureen said. " What are you doing here, Rog?"

Roger clenched his jaw. " What the hell is wrong with you, Maureen?"

" What?"

" You are such a master manipulator, and you chose to break the kindest heart with that skill, right?"

" Roger, can we not talk about this?"

" Why are you doing this to Mark, huh? He is so in love with you, and you're just juggling his heart around like he's a doll. Well, he's a person, with feelings, that you are not allowed to fucking play with!"

" Roger, stop."

" No, you stop. Stop being such a whore, and fucking so many people. Pick one person, Maureen. Why is that so hard?"

" Leave me alone, Roger."

" Mark took you in when nobody else wanted you, because who wants to live with a dramatic, annoying, loud, cock-sucking prostitute?!" Roger yelled, pushing Maureen, which made her stumble back against the wall.

" HEY! STOP!" Joanne said, and pushed Roger roughly on his chest. " Get away! And get out of my building."

Tears streamed down Maureen's cheeks from the words that the guy who was supposed to be her best friend had just said.

Roger watched as Maureen cried, realizing what he had just said. " Wait, Maureen, I didn't—"

" Yeah, okay, Roger."

" For real, Maureen. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

" Don't speak to me."

With that, Maureen walked away back into Joanne's apartment, and began gathering her stuff. Roger tried to follow her, but Joanne stopped him. " Leave her alone."

" I'm her best friend, you don't even know her! You're just her slut that she can do whatever she wants with," Roger said.

" Hey! Don't you think you've insulted me enough?! Leave her alone!" Maureen said.

Maureen finished packing her stuff, and quickly hugged Joanne before rushing off, Roger on her heels.

" Maureen—"

" Leave me alone."

" Are you cheating on Mark with that woman?"

Maureen hesitated. " It's none of your damn business."

" It is, 'cause he's my best friend," Roger said.

" Well, you just called your best friend's girlfriend a whore, and I'm sure he won't be happy about that."

" Well, he won't be exactly ecstatic that you were cheating on him either."

By this time, they were about to exit the building, and Maureen turned around to face Roger. " Listen, if you don't tell Mark about me and Joanne, then I won't tell him what you called me."

" Joanne?"

" That's her name."

" Is that the woman who stole from?"

" The woman who I was gonna steal from, but I didn't."

" So let me get this straight. You're cheating on Mark with a woman?"

" I'm bisexual."

" But you mostly date men."

" Well, Joanne is different. She's kind, and smart, and charming, and beautiful."

Roger stayed quiet for a second. " I'm gonna tell Mark you cheated."

" Then I'll tell him what you called me."

" How is that gonna affect him?"

" Because he's in love with me, so if he knows that you called the person he's in love with all those names, he'll never speak to you again."

" And he'll do the same if he knows you cheated," Roger said.

" So… if you don't tell, I won't."

Roger thought about. " Fine."

" Fine."


	6. ChapterSix

Roger slid open the loft door to Mark pacing back and fowarth. He looked at Roger. " Well? Where is she?"

" She went to go buy something," Roger said. He went into his room before Mark could ask any other questions.

Mark sighed, and slumped down onto the couch.

" What the fuck?"

About ten minutes later, Maureen came home with roses in her hands.

Mark stood up, and stared her in the eye. " Where were you?"

" I was—"

" Actually, don't even answer. I know you're cheating on me. Roger told me," Mark said.

Maureen's face fell. Roger snitched. She scoffed angrily, and shoved the roses into Mark's chest, and stomped into Roger's room.

Roger jumped when Maureen walked in on him in his boxers. " Maureen! I'm changing!"

" Shut up, I don't care!" Maureen said. " You told Mark?"

" No!" Roger said, trying to cover himself.

" Then why did he say that he knew I was cheating on him?" Maureen said.

" Because I told him before I confronted you and that girl—"

" Joanne. Her name is Joanne," Maureen corrected.

" Yeah, her."

Maureen rolled her eyes. " What do I do now?"

" Tell him you were hanging with a friend, or give him something," Roger said. " Get him a new scarf."

" There's no point to that, he only wears _one _scarf," Maureen said.

" You're right."

" Well, I got him flowers."

" You got him _flowers_?" Roger asked.

" Yeah, I didn't know what else to get him," Maureen said.

" Sunscreen or something! Not fucking flowers!" Roger said.

" Whatever, I already bought them," Maureen said.

" I wonder if your brain is fully developed yet."

" Shut up!" Maureen said, and threw a towel lying on the floor at Roger. She left the room and sat next to Mark on the couch.

" I wasn't cheating on you, babe. I was hanging with a new friend," Maureen said.

" That girl that you were in awe about the other day?" Mark asked, not meeting eyes with Maureen.

" Yeah, her," Maureen said.

" And are you sure you're just friends?" Mark said.

" Yes, Mark," Maureen said.

" Okay… are we good now? I hate arguing with you."

" Yeah, we're good."

Mark wasn't fully convinced, but made the bad decision of trusting Maureen, and planted a short kiss on her lips.

Maureen plastered a smile.

: :

Maureen knocked on Joanne's door, and heard shuffling inside. The door opened after a short silence, and Joanne revealed herself in tank top and booty shorts, which did not fail to make Maureen a little aroused.

" Hey, um… come in," Joanne said stepped aside for Maureen.

" Thanks," Maureen muttered and entered the apartment as Joanne closed the door.

" I was gonna call so we could talk, but I was waiting just in case you maybe called to confess that you're dating a man," Joanne said, a hint of angriness in her voice.

Maureen sighed, taking off her jacket. " Hey, you never asked my sexuality."

" I assumed you were a lesbian, because you were going on dates with me, a woman!" Joanne exclaimed.

" Okay, calm down. Let's talk about this, please," Maureen said while grabbing Joanne's soft hand and leading her to the couch where they sat.

" Admit it. You're straight and were going on dates with me just for the fun of it and to toy with my heart," Joanne said.

" No! There are more sexualities than completely straight and completely gay, you know?… I'm bisexual," Maureen said.

There was a silence.

" Does that bother you?" Maureen asked shyly.

" No, but something that does bother me is the fact that you're with a man. I'm just a side piece, and a secret," Joanne said, and continued before Maureen could speak. " But I don't wanna be a secret or a side piece. If I'm not the only one you belong to, then this isn't going to work."

Maureen bit her bottom lip. " I'm going to break up with him, Mark. I will. Because I really like you and we have that chemistry him and I don't have. But he's really sensitive, and our friend just killed herself a few weeks ago after she found out she had AIDS, so he needs me right now."

Joanne clenched her jaw and slipped her hand out of Maureen's.

" Come on, baby. Don't do this. I want this relationship to go further but… my best friend leaves in a few days, and Mark's best friend was dating the same girl who killed herself, so he's not exactly stable either. I'm the only one making it through. And he needs me."

Joanne sighed, but nodded. " Okay."

Maureen smiled and shifted closer to Joanne, slipping an arm around her waist and putting her on her lap. She looked up at Joanne who rested one of her hands on Maureen's shoulder and the other on her bare back after she had put her hand inside Maureen's shirt, rubbing her back. " I'm sorry about your friend."

" Oh, it's okay. It's no one's fault but hers. She took the pussy way out life and left Roger and Mark in the worst states they've ever been," Maureen said.

" Roger is the guy from yesterday?" Joanne asked, and Maureen nodded. " He's a dick."

" Yeah, sometimes. He's actually a really good guy, but he found out he had AIDS with his girlfriend, and then she killed herself so it can't be too easy for him."

" That doesn't give him the right to call you what he did," Joanne said.

Maureen nodded, and smiled at Joanne. She leaned up to press a tender, soft kiss against her lips that was quick but left Joanne wanting more. After Maureen pulled away Joanne rapidly tangled her fingers in Maureen's loose curls and pulled her head towards her own quite roughly, connecting their lips again in a more desireable, deep kiss.

Maureen's arms slipped around Joanne's waist entirely, pulling her closer to her body.

" When do you normally have sex for the first time with someone you've been dating?"

" Fifth date," Joanne muttered against Maureen's lips.

" Aw…" Maureen said sadly.

" But maybe I can make an exception for you."

" Really?!" Maureen said excitingly. " Yay! Take off those clothes!"

Joanne stood and took off her shirt and pants so she was only in her bras and panties, making Maureen drool and even more excited down there.

" Damn, Joanne. You're sexy," Maureen said, sitting with her legs open in front of Joanne like a horny man.

Maureen let Joanne straddle her thighs, and smiled when she did, rubbing her thighs and letting her hands roam to her ass, which Maureen squeezed.

Joanne took off Maureen's shirt and Maureen began kissing down Joanne's chest, ready to unhook her bra, but Joanne pulled away quickly.

" As much as I wanna take you right now, I don't want you to _actually _cheat on your boyfriend," Joanne said.

" Right now, we're basically not even dating, I'm just his support system."

" Are you guys having sex?"

" Not even that."

" And I'm not just backup for when you too break up, right, I'm not just rebound?"

" No, Joanne."

" Are you sure?"

" Yes, Joanne! Now come on, fuck me."

" I don't like that term. I know we're not there yet, but when we are it's '_love-making_', but for now, it's sex. Please and thank you," Joanne said, quite sternly.

" Ooh, demanding. I like," Maureen said with a giggle, and connected their lips again, slipping her tongue into Joanne's mouth with ease, making Joanne moan.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Maureen threw her head back in despair. " Christ!"

" Let me get that," Joanne said, trying to move away from Maureen kept her grip on her. Joanne tried to stand, her back facing Maureen and Maureen wrapped her arms around Joanne's waist, planting kisses up her back playfully. " Maureen, let me go."

" No, let them leave so we can get back to where we were," Maureen whined, resting her cheek on Joanne's shoulder, since she had gotten Joanne to sit on her lap now.

" No, what if it's important?"

" They could come back later," Maureen said.

" Please…"

" Maureen, it's Roger. I can hear your loud-ass voice. Open the door, you horny lesbian… bisexual," Roger corrected himself.

Joanne looked at Maureen. " Can I open the door, and slap him?"

Maureen chuckled, and kissed Joanne's lips quickly. They both stood up, and Joanne went into her room hastily, throwing out a big Harvard sweatshirt and coming out in a white, silk robe.

" Put that on," Joanne said, walking towards the door.

" Oh, right, because you're a fancy lawyer who went to Harvard," Maureen joked, mocking Joanne.

" Shut up," Joanne said, and opened the door, placing her hand on her hip. " How can I help you?"

" You know how you can help me. I wanna see Maureen," Roger snapped.

Joanne cocked an eyebrow. " You have on hell of an attitude for someone who security can carry out of here with one hand, you know."

Roger clenched his jaw. " Just let me see her please…" Roger said, only then noticing Joanne's robe. " We're you two fucking?"

" You're pretty nosy, you know."

" And you're pretty stuck-up… hey, maybe Maureen can take the stick out of your ass while she's up there."

Joanne smiled sarcastically, and laughed angrily, her face then turning serious. " I will rip your tiny dick off and shove it down your throat, you—"

" Okay, okay," Maureen said, stepping in between the two while they shot daggers at each other.

" Please, keep it civilized… Roger, what do you want? I feel like you think this is the, um… Mickey Mouse clubhouse to you… you might as well invite Collins and Mark too."

" Sure! Your boyfriend and your girlfriend will get along great!… I'm assuming you told her, right? Unless you're gonna lie to your other partner too, of course."

" Shut up! Just tell me what you want and leave!" Maureen hurried.

" Mark got into an accident," Roger said, and Maureen's face fell.

" What?" she asked, all the color in her face leaving.

" Yeah, he was riding his bike and a car crashed into him."

" Oh my god," Maureen said, obviously very worried. She turned towards Joanne. " I have to go."

" Of course," Joanne replied, and Maureen went back into the apartment, grabbing her jacket and going back to the doorway.

" Bye, Joanne," Maureen said, and hugged Joanne.

Joanne smirked evilly at Roger who had scrunched up his nose in disgust.

Maureen pulled away from the hug, and kissed Joanne's cheek, then leaving. Roger said bye by glaring at Joanne.


	7. ChapterSeven

**Sorry about the chapter title— it isn't letting me put spaces in between the words. :(**

**TRACIETHOMSISMYQUEEN **

" How is he?" Maureen asked Collins once she entered the waiting room, Roger behind her. She gave Collins a hug and they sat.

" Um… he's in a coma. He was hit pretty hard, and when he got to the ground, he hit his head on the concrete and broke his leg," Collins said.

Maureen noticed the man sitting dangerously close to Collins. The man's eyes were too small, and too close together, his lips were also too small, and his cheekbones were raised slightly higher than they were supposed to be, making a small dent in both his cheeks… and yet he was still extremely handsome.

" Care to introduce me to who this is?" Maureen asked, soon noticing him and Collins were holding hands.

" Oh, um… this is Whizzer… the hottie I told you about, the one I was going on a date with… well today was our first date and then I got the call that Mark got into an accident, and I told Whizzer I had to come here, and he insisted on coming too," Collins explained.

" Aw, you called me a hottie?" Whizzer asked Collins, and Collins blushed.

" Hmm… where have I heard the name Whizzer before?" Maureen asked, trying to remember when she heard that name.

" It's not exactly a common name," Whizzer said with a deep chuckle.

Maureen smiled. " I probably heard something like it. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Whizzer… and hey, you hurt Collins, I will not hesitate to attack."

Whizzer smiled in return, and Maureen saw how gorgeous he really was. " Don't worry."

Maureen nodded, and they all turned their heads when a voice called Mark's name. They all stood, and walked up to the doctor.

" How is Mark?" Maureen asked eagerly, squeezing Collins's hand.

" Unfortunately still in a coma, as I expect Mr.Collins informed you of," the doctor said, and Maureen nodded. " He can take visitors now, and one person is allowed to spend the night."

" Me," Maureen and Roger said at the same time. They looked at each other.

" _I'm _his best friend," Roger stated.

" And _I'm _his girlfriend," Maureen contradicted.

" How about none of you stay the night, and I call his momma up so _she _can sleep here, with _her son_," Collins said, not wanting the two to start bickering.

Maureen and Roger gave each other a look, and then looked at the doctor. Roger faked a friendly smile. " That's fair."

" Mhhm," Maureen agreed.

" Roger, come with me, we'll go see Mark," Collins said, and grabbed Roger's arm, dragging him towards the hospital room.

Maureen and Whizzer found their way to a bench in front of Mark's hospital room. " So, you're the best friend?" Whizzer asked.

Maureen smirked. " Yeah… is that what he referred to me as?"

" Yeah… he also called you his favorite human being, the thing that makes him smile everyday, his confidant, his sister, and the most beautiful, perfect human to ever exist," Whizzer said.

Maureen smiled so brightly, blushing. " Are you serious?"

" Dead serious. I was beginning to doubt he was gay," Whizzer joked, and they both laughed.

" Well, he overrated me. I'm not that great," Maureen stated.

" You seem like you are… look, Collins and I just started going out, but to be completely honest, I really like him, and I'm happy he has you, if I ever break his heart," Whizzer said, and Maureen shot him a look. " Not that I plan to, but you know, sometimes you can be in relationship and really love someone, and yet still hopelessly fall for someone else."

Maureen thought to Joanne, and her beautiful eyes, lips, hair, body, and smile. _Oh, that smile_, Maureen thought, a smile of her own spreading across her face. _So beautiful. So… flawless. _

Whizzer smirked, waving a hand in front of Maureen's face. " You alright there, honey?"

Maureen seemed to come out of trance, shaking her head. " What? Oh yeah… sorry. Just… thinking of Mark."

Whizzer looked at her suspiciously. " You sure?"

" Of course. Who else would I be thinking of?" Maureen replied. " I'm a… good girlfriend."

Whizzer nodded. " If you say so."

Before Maureen could respond, Roger and Collins came out of Mark's room.

" Maureen, you could go," Collins said, signaling towards the room.

Maureen nodded and shared a glance with Whizzer before walking into the room.

There Mark lied on the bed, his leg that had a cast on it slightly higher in the air because of the pillow underneath it and his face cut up and bruised. And even with all the injuries, he looked peaceful. Over the past few weeks, Mark had no ease in his mind whatsoever, with the thought of Maureen cheating on him and trying to take care of a moody Roger who was obviously feeling a lot of pain and not dealing with it correcting.

Maureen stood next to him and examined his face, touching it slightly with the back of her nimble fingers. " Oh, baby. I'm sorry, for all of this. It shouldn't have gone this far with Joanne, I thought it was just gonna be a one night stand, but I'm… I'm falling for her, Mark. Hard. And maybe I'll have the balls to tell you this when you wake up, and maybe I won't. But I wanna be with her, I just don't wanna hurt you. Because I love you, I just… I won't say love, but I really, _really _like Joanne."

" How touching," a voice said, and Maureen turned to see Roger.

" Leave me the fuck alone, Davis," Maureen said through gritted teeth, still looking at Mark and holding his hand.

" Oh, talking to Mark about how much you_ love _Joanne… really, that hit my soft spot," Roger said sarcastically, his hand on his heart.

Maureen rolled her eyes. " Get out. You already had your time and you can come back in when I'm done."

" But here's the thing. You go ahead and start screwing another woman while still being with Mark, and then you have the audacity to come here and talk about how much you care about and love him," Roger said.

" You already gave me one unnecessary lecture on this, so if you would mind, back the fuck up, and stick your nose in your own sorry little life," Maureen snapped.

" _My_ sorry little life?! Maureen, you're so insecure that you have to go around fucking everyone in the world and wearing tight shit so people can stare and you can get cat-calls. You love attention so much, hell, you _live _for attention, and when your boyfriend doesn't give you enough, you don't even think to talk to him about it, you just go straight to your next option: cheating… look, I'm no expert at having a perfect life, but I know a thing or two about at least having a _good _one, and what you're doing with yours right now isn't fucking good. It's fucking disgusting! Running around cheating on every partner you have isn't anyway to live your life, Maureen."

" _You_ don't get to tell me how to live my fucking life, Roger! You are _such _an asshole! No wonder April killed herself!" Maureen yelled.

Roger froze.

" What's going on in here?!" Collins yelled once he was in the room.

" Nothing. Nothing at all. I was just leaving," Roger said and glared at Maureen, then brushing past Collins and storming out of the room.

Maureen slumped down into the recliner, and buried her face in her hands, her knees connected but her feet apart, and her back arched.

" What happened?" Collins asked.

" Nothing. I'm gonna have a cigarette," Maureen stated and stood up, about to walk past Collins and Whizzer, but Collins grabbed her arm.

" A cigarette? You smoke now?" Collins inquired.

" They relax me," Maureen replied.

" Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right?" Collins said with a warm smile.

Maureen nodded, trying her best to fake a smile, but failing. She left the hospital, and stood outside, tajing a cigarette out from it's pack in her purse and putting it in her mouth.

When she finished with her cigarette and threw it on the ground, then stepping on it, she called Collins, deciding she should leave. She was really tired for some reason, and just wanted to get home.

Collins let her go and Maureen called a cab to get her home.

: :

When Maureen got to her building, she went to open the door, but someone suddenly grabbed her from behind and pulled her into an alley. They had their hand clasped over her mouth, so her screams could not be heard.

Maureen tried to fend off the person, but they had a tight grip on her. They pushed her to the floor on the alley, and she was about to scream, but stopped when she felt a gun on her head.

" If you scream, I shoot," a deep voice said.

Maureen looked up and saw The Man. " You. Roger and April's drug guy. What do you want from _me_?"

" Listen up. I saw you and some girl making out one night in front of your building. But I've also seen you with the little ginger. Who are you with?" The Man asked.

" What do you care?"

" Well, here's the thing. That woman has been trying to make her big break as a lawyer on me and my customers. She has become a big problem, always throwing my girls who sell my drugs for me in jail and that's not good for my business. And I've been thinking about ending her, so I'll have one less problem on my plate. Therefore, I need some new people. Now, I was wondering if you would like to become my main girl since my old one got her ass busted while selling drugs to some seventeen-year-old methhead a week ago."

" HELL _NO_! And hey, if you touch Joanne, I will kill you."

" You didn't let me finish. If you _don't _wanna become my main girl, Ms.Jefferson will suffer the consequences," The Man said, wiggling his gun in his hand.

Maureen clenched her jaw. " You asshole! You can't do that! If I don't wanna be in your little druggie group, I don't have to be!"

" Well, like I said, unless you want your _girlfriend _to die, you don't really have a choice."

Maureen huffed. " What do I need to do? And how often?"

Every Friday, you come to Dan's Dairy Warehouse. I give you a few addresses with orders, and you deliver them discreetly. You come back to the warehouse with my money, and that's just about it. Any other info, I'll tell you this Friday. If you ghost me, you best believe Joanne'll be dead by Monday."

Maureen gulped, and stood up." Alright. I'll do it."

The Man smiled a creepy smile, sending shivers down Maureen's spine. " Oh, and maybe I'll have you do a few other things."

" Like what?" Maureen inquired.

" You'll see," The Man replied, and then pointed his finger in Maureen's face. " And listen. You keep your mouth _shut _about this. You tell anyone, and I'll not only kill JoJo, but you and all your friends."

Maureen nodded. " Don't call her JoJo."

The Man smiled that creepy smile again and strided out of the alley.

Maureen sighed, and rested her head on the wall.

" What the fuck am I doing?"

**TRACIETHOMSISMYQUEEN **

**So, I don't know if the reason why The Man is blackmailing Maureen even makes sense, but I honestly had nothing else. Super big writer's block. Sorry not for updating any other stories. I'm working on it. ;)**


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